Operations and Business Process Improvement

Designing in lower cost and higher revenue per transaction

An operating model defines how the people, organisation, processes and technology are configured to deliver one or more customer propositions. A well defined operating model should address the following strategic questions:

What is the most efficient way to do things? What activities get done where (centrally, decentralised, outsourced)? Who is responsible for what (organisation alignment)? What is the most effective way to measure and reward performance? What new or enhanced capabilities (people, skills, technology and process) are required to support the operating model?

Business process improvement

Improving business processes decreases process time and transaction costs while simultaneously increasing operational capacity. We help our clients realise business efficiency through sustainable and measurable improvements in business process management that can be identified and implemented quickly.

Our approach to BPM is to make pragmatic and quick improvements to business processes without the need for significant investment in technology. We use best practice from a range of process improvement disciplines to maximise returns. For example a typical 30% improvement in costs per transaction could be delivered as follows:
i) Re-engineering - Doing the right things (10%)
ii) Process Management - Getting the work on time to the right people (10%)
iii) Operational improvement – Enabling the right people to perform at the optimum level and measure for continuous improvement (10%)

Insights

We outline our approach to operating model design in the following insight. Read More

We outline more about how we approach outsourcing in the following Curach Insight. Read More

We outline more about how we approach Business Process Management in the following Curach Insight. Read More

Assessments and Diagnostics

Outsourcing feasability assessment

We have developed a business driven assement to identify the feasability of outsourcing and the potential cost advantage from outsourcing. Our assessment establishes in a very short timeframe the following:

organisational readiness to outsource the service and associated applications
availability of appropriately qualified service providers
feasibility of using offsite resources to support the service and associated applications
complexity of the business functions, processes and applications in scope
complexity of transitioning the service and applications to a third party
the business case for outsourcing

The scale and scope varies for organization but can be completed in four to eight weeks.

Operating model diagnostic

We have developed a short analytically based and business driven diagnostic. This diagnostic identifies where the most significant improvements are in changing the design of the operating model. The scale and scope varies by organisation but in most cases can be completed in six to ten weeks.

Success stories

Bank of Scotland Ireland

Curach were engaged by the bank to conduct the review. The challenge was to identify key customer facing and operational challenges, analyse strategic/business plans, understand regulatory and compliance considerations and establish the most appropriate model for banking. Operating model alternatives were considered and evaluated and a set of design principles established to guide the new model. The final deliverable included the review, an emerging future model and the key change initiatives identified for migration to the new model. A high-level business case was prepared, complete with an approach and high-level programme roadmap for implementation.
The future operating model will improve performance in five areas